“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
The couple walks up to the counter and frowns at the sign. “Do you have coffee?”
“Sorry, no. Just tea.”
Disappointed, they leave.
Rowan emerges from the back as soon as they’re gone. One look at him tells me he heard everything my father and I were discussing.
“Rowan—”
“It’s okay,” he says heavily. “I wouldn’t like me if I were in his position either. Honestly, it could have been worse.”
“How?”
He gives me a wry look. “You could have told him about the bond.”
I shudder at the idea. “Eventually, we’ll have to confess. But today is not that day. In fact, I plan to put that off until?—”
“There’s a ring on your finger?” He lifts a brow, his eyes bright and mischievous.
My heart leaps at his casual mention of marriage. But then it slowly falls, like a balloon with a slow leak, because I realize I won’t be the first woman to wear his ring. Keira was beforeme. She planned their wedding and picked out the flowers. She bought a dress. Hired a caterer. Ordered a cake.
And the idea of it is worse now because I canpictureit. It’s all too easy to imagine them together now that I know what she looks like. Two beautiful people dressed in black and white, ready to exchange vows.
Another gust of wind blows against the window.
Rowan’s forehead knits. “I lost you somewhere.”
“I thought about Keira,” I admit quietly.
He grimaces, looking like he’d like to call a storm, too. “I’m sorry.”
Thankfully, the door opens, saving us from continuing the conversation.
Reluctantly, Rowan pulls his gaze from my face. “Morning, Dorian,” he calls to the massive dragon shifter who just walked through the door, his voice heavier than usual.
Happy to let Rowan help the man who knows far more about tea than I do, I begin to walk away. Before I get far, Rowan reaches for me.
I look back to see what he needs, but he’s focused on Dorian. He squeezes my hand before letting me go. The gesture is quietly affectionate, professionally hidden behind the counter.
Very sweet.
I remind myself that it doesn’t matter that Keira probably practiced writing her name with Neilfellow at the end, or that she sent out wedding invitations with her and Rowan smiling from their polished engagement photos. All that matters is who stands the test of time.
And I fully intend to be Rowan’s forever.
Chapter 6
The Little Tea Pixie
Check in hand, I knock on the closed bakery door. It’s a little after two, just after they close for the day.
Ryder opens the door a few minutes later, wearing a half apron over his fitted jeans. He’s rolled the sleeves of an olive-green, button-up shirt to his elbows. With his spring eyes, light brown hair, and mischievous smile, he’s very handsome.
I smirk to myself, picturing all the human women haunting the bakery just for a chance to talk to him.
